The Wild Extremes of Antarctica
The coldest and windiest place on Earth is still largely undiscovered
- By Molly Roberts
- Smithsonian magazine, January 2008, Subscribe
Magical, surreal and otherworldly, Antarctica is a land of ultimates. As the southernmost continent, it is the coldest and windiest place on earth. And with virtually no rain and more than 95 percent of the landmass covered in ice, Antarctica is the world's largest desert.
Not surprisingly, it also has no permanent human residents, thus making it the only continent with no government or political activity. (That alone, by some people's standards, qualifies it as paradise.) The global community officially recognized the uniqueness of Antarctica with a 1959 treaty that set it apart as a scientific preserve.
Just as a blank canvas is an invitation for artists, Antarctica's vast unexplored territory has long beckoned all types of adventurers. Among the most recent is photographer George Steinmetz, who traveled there in 2005 (see below). "It's a humbling experience," he says. "It's a place where human beings clearly don't belong. You feel as if you are on another planet."
For most travelers, the simplest way to see Antarctica is from the deck of a cruise ship, where you can snap photos of glaciers, AdŽlie penguins and leopard seal colonies to your heart's content. But if you really want to leave your footprint on this frozen landscape, expedition agencies can take you into the continent's interior for mountain climbing and photo safaris. Dress warmly.
Subscribe now for more of Smithsonian's coverage on history, science and nature.
← Previous Hiking Mount Kilimanjaro |
Smithsonian Life List: 43 Places to See Before You Die |
Next → Navigating the Yangtze River |
Comments (7)
what is the temperature in antartica? you sure that the antartica is the coldest place in the world? please answer my question.
Posted by mark ravel on October 28,2012 | 09:28 PM
WHAT A FROZEN PLACE
Posted by on August 4,2012 | 06:47 AM
It's my dream to travel to all the continents Antarctica is number 3 on my list
Posted by Caroline on August 13,2010 | 07:30 PM
Lots of snow. Lots of ice. Lots of auroras - but only in the winter. The best time of year is from August to October. You get to see the Auroras and the Nacreous clouds - 'tie dye in the sky' as a friend puts it. Most beautiful place I have ever been.
Posted by Joe Roberts on June 21,2010 | 09:49 PM
Even we Marines hav gone there ..its an awesome xperience
Posted by John Cena on June 10,2010 | 04:40 AM
I am wondering is Antarctica have auroras to see also?
Posted by Angel on April 16,2010 | 11:25 AM
Antarctica... lots of snow. wooooo
Posted by TV on March 1,2010 | 09:17 AM